Losing "Baby bulk" weight and Insanity workout?

Okay, So my husband refers to the rediculious amount of weight I have gained during my Pregnancy as my "Baby bulk" Because for the first 4 months I lost so much weight that my doctor was getting worried about it so I started eating "Bulk foods" (High in good fats, lots of protien) Now, 30 lbs later and 9 mos pregnant, I feel disgusting.

I was wondering if any of you girls have tried the Insanity program post-partum, and if you have when did you start. I have 6 months to get back to my pre pregnancy weight and fitness level, and I want to start on it before I go back to work. My husband is getting out of the service, and I am staying in, but I don't want to leave him at home with a newborn baby. If there are any other good at home postpartum workouts I would be open to those as well.

I miss my body, but I don't want to pus it to hard to soon. Just curious as to what your expieriences were, and what you found to work.

I would not recommend Insanity to a newly postpartum mother. First, you will be exhausted, and it's very intense. It's pretty rough on the body, you need time to heal. Lots of jumping, pushups, etc. Just concentrate on stroller/sling walks, getting around the block, and getting some sleep.

And give yourself time. You may have a colicky baby who doesn't sleep. You might have an EMCS. Mine woke 10-12x a night for the first 6 months. He wasn't born 100% healthy. I ran myself into the ground trying to get back to my pre-baby fitness level rather than give my body the rest it truly needed. Just wait until the baby is here and then work on your plans. See what life has to throw at you before you make concrete plans

Just eat healthy (and eat enough if breastfeeding), try and get active, and go from there. Maybe not what you wanted to hear, but hey, I wrote the same post last year at 9 months and was told the same thing. And they were right

I would not recommend Insanity to a newly postpartum mother. First, you will be exhausted, and it's very intense. It's pretty rough on the body, you need time to heal. Lots of jumping, pushups, etc. Just concentrate on stroller/sling walks, getting around the block, and getting some sleep.

And give yourself time. You may have a colicky baby who doesn't sleep. You might have an EMCS. Mine woke 10-12x a night for the first 6 months. He wasn't born 100% healthy. I ran myself into the ground trying to get back to my pre-baby fitness level rather than give my body the rest it truly needed. Just wait until the baby is here and then work on your plans. See what life has to throw at you before you make concrete plans

Just eat healthy (and eat enough if breastfeeding), try and get active, and go from there. Maybe not what you wanted to hear, but hey, I wrote the same post last year at 9 months and was told the same thing. And they were right

This is good advice. I am not a mother yet but I am studying nutrition and specializing in pregnancy and infant health. Post-partum exercise requires a bit of caution because your body is still getting back to normal. I would not suggest anything as intense as Insanity because you run the risk of getting hurt. In addition, you will probably have a hard time working up the energy to do it consistently. Moderate exercise will be good, swimming or water aerobics are frequently suggested. Even just going for a walk or possibly a jog with the baby seemed to work for my sister.

Keep in mind that you have not gained thirty pounds of fat. After the baby is born and your body normalizes you will probably find you don't have as much weight to lose as you originally thought. Make sure you continue to eat well and focus on your family instead of an intensely draining work out program.

Wow, I wouldn't call 30lbs a massive gain! That is quite normal isn't it? I am 3 weeks from due date and have gained 37lbs... this is bub #2 (1st is 18 months old). And mine certainly is not all belly! My arse and thighs are the biggest they have ever been
Anyway, after #1 I was able to start lifting weights after a week or so, I had a cruisy bub though, and cruisy normal delivery. I would take her to my work gym in her car capsule and she just would watch me work out. Worked well I didn't do well in the diet area, but still lost a lot of the weight. Didn't get back to where i was pre-baby though, but like mentioned, diet would have been the biggest factor.
Anyway with this one, I plan on starting NROL4W straight away, and focusing on diet. I have more weight to lose than last time, AND I haven't been keeping exercising this time like I did last.
I am not familiar with Insanity workout, but I think any simple weight lifting will be ideal and do-able, but it really does depend on your birth (you may need a c-section etc..) and how your baby is in those early days.

I'm 13 weeks postpartum and tried Insanity last week. It is VERY hard to do postpartum- I had a csection and was on bedrest for 16 weeks so maybe that makes a difference. I couldn't do half the stuff they were doing. But I probably would not recommend it.

First I'm going to tell you everyone's labour and postpartum healing are different, so what works for one person may not work for another.

Your cardio abilities may take a hit during pregnancy, even though I played competitive touch football until 24 weeks and continued walking after that point my cardio levels post partum are no where near what they used to be. This would make the Insanity workouts very difficult to complete.

Your body also continues to have relaxin in your body until about 5 months post partum leaving your joints more prone to injury. Insanity is very high impact, which could increase your risk of injury postpartum and delay your recovery.

On that note, I had an emergency c-section; within 2 weeks I was walking 30min daily; within 4 weeks I was lifting light weights (under 15lbs dumbbells) and doing light yoga; within six weeks I was back at the gym jogging and lifting weights normally as well as starting the P90x videos. I am just starting serious ab work this week though, as anything more than bridges or stomach vacuums was causing my incision site to swell which meant my body wasn't ready yet.

The biggest keys to post partum workouts are to talk to your doctor and to go with how your body feels. If it hurts, stop. If you are tired, don't. Give yourself time and don't punish yourself.

Also 30lbs is normal weight gain, I gained 30 during my pregnancy and was left with 10lbs post partum. You need to keep in mind that some of the weight you have gained is extra skin, blood, water retention, amniotic fluid and baby. Plus, breastfeeding burns calories. If you drop your calories too quickly, or start working out too heavily you can compromise your health as well as your ability to breastfeed.

Wow, I wouldn't call 30lbs a massive gain! That is quite normal isn't it? I am 3 weeks from due date and have gained 37lbs... this is bub #2 (1st is 18 months old). And mine certainly is not all belly! My arse and thighs are the biggest they have ever been
Anyway, after #1 I was able to start lifting weights after a week or so, I had a cruisy bub though, and cruisy normal delivery. I would take her to my work gym in her car capsule and she just would watch me work out. Worked well I didn't do well in the diet area, but still lost a lot of the weight. Didn't get back to where i was pre-baby though, but like mentioned, diet would have been the biggest factor.
Anyway with this one, I plan on starting NROL4W straight away, and focusing on diet. I have more weight to lose than last time, AND I haven't been keeping exercising this time like I did last.
I am not familiar with Insanity workout, but I think any simple weight lifting will be ideal and do-able, but it really does depend on your birth (you may need a c-section etc..) and how your baby is in those early days.

Good luck!

30 lbs is on the low end of healthy weight gain for a pregnancy and you are right within the healthy range. Of course this varies depending on your starting weight so I'm assuming healthy pre-pregnancy weights here.

The majority of the weight gain in pregnancy is not fat so don't be afraid to gain weight. Healthy weight gain helps to ensure healthy birth weights and healthy lactation for breastfeeding mothers. Your body will sacrifice your health to provide quality breast milk for baby and this includes utilizing body fat to make milk.

Thanks so much for the advice I am probably going to be looking into something a little lower impact then the insanity program. The only issue I am having is I really Have no choice and I wanted to get in a little bit of better shape before going back to work and having to do mandatoiry PT in the mornings. I just don't want to be there doing 15 miniute 1.5 mile runs like I did 4 years ago. (I got it down to 11ish before I got pregnant)

Thanks so much for the advice I am probably going to be looking into something a little lower impact then the insanity program. The only issue I am having is I really Have no choice and I wanted to get in a little bit of better shape before going back to work and having to do mandatoiry PT in the mornings. I just don't want to be there doing 15 miniute 1.5 mile runs like I did 4 years ago. (I got it down to 11ish before I got pregnant)

my baby will be 7 months old on saturday. i am just really starting to get back in shape now :/ i had a perfectly healthy wonderful pregnancy and deliver. text book perfection actually. except for my weight gain. the doc suggested i gain no more than 35 - i gained 50. i am about 10-12 lbs from pre-preg weight now.

i'm also in the reserves. i know active duty may be more strict.. BUT you will get a post-partum profile for a few months. yes, in 6 months you will have to take a PT test - but it is supposed to be a diagnostic only. so you have a year before you have to take one for record. i am in the medical corp, and that's how we handle things.

but i was in the same mindset as you.... i started walking at about 5 weeks post partum. walking short distances (maybe a mile) felt ok, so i thought i'd be fine to start Insanity. i was dead wrong. i was in so much pain for days after trying that. lots of cramping too.

your best bet is really to just eat well and walk when you can for awhile. walking will help bump your cardiovascular fitness a little bit. honestly, it wasn't until my daughter was about 3 months old that i felt physically ok enough to exercise. but i was chronically tired, so i wasn't consistent.
good luck with the rest of your pregnancy! bebehs are wonderful!

Sorry... I am having a gentle chuckle too...
When I was pregnant I was adament that I would be in the gym and hitting it hard in teh minimum time possible...
Roll on baby... and yes, I did get back into it... but not really seriously for the best part of a year...
Why? my beautiful little boy, who was sleeping through the night really early despite being a preemie (8 weeks) took alot out of me. Losing the weight was not hard as I (like you) didn't put on a ridiculous amount but having the time to get fit etc was another issue... he is 2 1/2 now and I still only have 40mins 5 days a week to do anything... so I use them as well as possible.
Enjoy your newborn when he arrives, the tiny baby stage unfortunately doesn't last very long... try to get some "me time" and don't stress the fitness bit too much, it'll come back when it becomes more of a priority... while having a baby is completely natural, it is also quite exhausting... also, did anyone tell you that for teh few weeks after you've had teh baby, that you'll still look pregnant... nobody told me and it was quite a surprise... LOL..
All the best.

also, did anyone tell you that for teh few weeks after you've had teh baby, that you'll still look pregnant... nobody told me and it was quite a surprise... LOL..
All the best.

I found that out quickly when people were asking me why I still hadn't had the baby in July when he was due in June. Ouch. I would have him in my sling and they would STILL wonder why I was still pregnant.

I found that out quickly when people were asking me why I still hadn't had the baby in July when he was due in June. Ouch. I would have him in my sling and they would STILL wonder why I was still pregnant.

The first month is probably the biggest self-esteem bummer there is.

So true...
I can see why in this part of the world, Mum and her new baby shut themselves away for teh first 3 months.... not even the father can see the baby (thought that is changing) so when Mum and baby finally "come out of the house" baby is already strong and Mum is looking well...

So true...
I can see why in this part of the world, Mum and her new baby shut themselves away for teh first 3 months.... not even the father can see the baby (thought that is changing) so when Mum and baby finally "come out of the house" baby is already strong and Mum is looking well...

You are in Africa, right?

I really prefer the traditional African style of raising babies, personally. I love to wear him, I don't like to leave him to cry, and I like the idea of being expected to put my efforts solely into raising the baby rather than how many US women (I'm not from the US, but still) need to go back to work after only 6-8 weeks.

Yes, I think there is too much pressure on western women to go instantly back to pre-baby figure and lifestyle for sure, but I suppose that's a rant for a different time

Like anywhere, there are good and bad things here ... for working women here maternity leave is 6-12 weeks and most women will give birth at home with a midwife or some of the older ladies in the village and if something goes wrong, often it's too far to get any medical help.
There is a much more relaxed style of living however at present where I am living, we've had no running water for over a month, medical provision is minimal, schools aren't great etc...